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INTERSTATE  COMMERCE  COMMISSION 


REPORT  COVERING  INVESTIGATION  OF  ACCIDENT 

TO   CHIGAGO,   ROCK    ISLAND   AND   PACIFIC 

RAILWAY    LOCOMOTIVE    2132,   WHICH 

OCCURRED  NEAR  HARRAH,  OKLA., 

JULY  3,  1923 


BY 


A.  G.  PACK 

CHIEF  INSPECTOR,  BUREAU  OF  LOCOMOTIVE  INSPECTION 


Printed  by  Order  of  the  Commission 
August  15, 1923 


WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT   PRINTING   OFFICE 

1923 


INTERSTATE  COMMERCE  COMMISSION. 


REPORT  OF  THE  CHIEF  INSPECTOR,  BUREAU  OF  LOCOMOTIVE  IN- 
SPECTION,  COVERING  INVESTIGATION  OF  ACCIDENT  TO  CHICAGO, 
ROCK  ISLAND  &  PACIFIC  RAILWAY  LOCOMOTIVE  2132,  WHICH 
OCCURRED  NEAR  HARRAH,  OKLA.,  JULY  3,  1923. 

Washington,  August  14,  1923. 
To  the  Interstate  Commerce  Commission: 

Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Railway  locomotive  2132  was 
dispatched  from  Shawnee,  Okla.,  at  6  a.  m.  on  July  3, 1923,  in  freight 
service,  and  when  at  a  point  about  2  miles  west  of  Harrah,  Okla., 
or  20  miles  from  Shawnee,  and  while  running  at  an  estimated  speed 
of  20  miles  per  hour,  a  flue  pocket  blew  out  of  the  front  flue  sheet, 
when  the  escaping  steam  and  water  from  the  boiler  caused  the  flames 
and  fire-box  gases  to  be  blown  back  into  the  cab,  resulting  in  the 
serious  injury  of  Engineer  R.  W.  Lamon  and  Fireman  G.  Q.  Jones. 

This  locomotive  was  turned  out  of  the  Shawnee  shops  of  this  car- 
rier on  July  1,  or  two  days  prior  to  the  accident,  after  having  re- 
ceived class  3  repairs,  and  was  at  the  time  of  the  accident  making  its 
first  regular  trip  in  freight  service  since  receiving  repairs.  During 
the  repairs  all  flues  were  renewed  and  40  flue  pockets,  which  had 
been  previously  applied,  were  renewed  and  8  additional  flue  pockets 
were  applied,  making  a  total  of  48  flue  pockets  applied  in  the  front 
flue  sheet  for  the  purpose  of  closing  holes  from  which  flues  had  been 
removed  when  changes  in  the  fire-box  flue  sheet  were  made. 

EXAMINATION   OF   FLUE   POCKET. 

Examination  disclosed  that  neither  the  flue  pocket  which  blew  out, 
as  illustrated  in  Figure  1,  nor  any  of  the  others  had  been  prossered, 
but  were  only  held  in  place  by  friction. 

The  flue  pockets  were  applied  by  Boilermaker  Helper  R.  R.  Luper 
and  were  inspected  by  Boiler  Inspector  J.  Clark,  who  signed  and 
swore  to  annual  locomotive  inspection  and  repair  report,  dated  July 
1,  1923,  showing  that  all  flues  were  in  good  condition,  and  the  report 
approved  by  General  Foreman  A.  Hambleton,  as  officer  in  charge. 
Inspections  and  repairs  at  Shawnee  are  under  the  general  super- 
vision and  direction  of  Mr.  L.  D.  Richards,  master  mechanic. 

1 


INTERSTATE    COMMERCE    COMMISSION   REPORTS. 


Our  examination  of  locomotives  Nos.  2120,  2135,  2139,  and  2144 
disclosed  that  in  each  of  the  front  flue  sheets  there  were  48  flue  pock- 
ets which  had  not  been  prossered,  or  means  provided  to  secure  them 


in  place,  other  than  friction.  The  carrier's  records  show  that  all  of 
these  locomotives  received  new  flues  and  flue  pockets  during  the 
period  January  to  April,  1923. 


ACCIDENT   NEAR   HARRAH,    OKLA.  3 

Figure  1  shows  the  flue  pocket  as  applied  and  held  only  by  fric- 
tion, while  Figure  2  shows  the  manner  in  which  the  flue  pocket  should 
have  been  prossered  or  enlarged  inside  of  flue  sheet,  which  would 
have  prevented' it  from  blowing  out. 

The  necessity  for  properly  prossering  or  enlarging  flue  pockets 
inside  the  sheet  is  so  well  recognized  by  mechanics  that  comment 
hardly  seems  necessary.  The  workmen  who  did  this  work  and  the 
supervising  officials  in  charge  who  permitted  it  can  not  be  too  strongly 
censured  for  such  careless  and  indifferent  methods,  which  show  an 
extreme  disregard  for  safety  on  their  part. 

The  Bureau  of  Locomotive  Inspection  has  seriously  objected  since 
its  inauguration  to  flue  pockets  being  applied  in  the  fire-box  flue  sheet 
because  of  unsafe  conditions  created.  It  has  not,  however,  objected 
to  flue  pockets  applied  in  reasonable  number  in  the  front  flue  sheet 
when  properly  belled  and  prossered,  but  we  do  not  approve  as  being 
proper  and  safe  practice  of  applying  the  number  of  flue  pockets 
which  were  found  in  this  instance,  for  the  reason  that  it  leaves  a 
large  unsupported  area  and  throws  an  undue  strain  on  the  remaining 
adjacent  flues. 

Kespectfully, 

A.  G.  Pack,  Chief  Inspector. 

o 


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